Flooding caused by an increasing number of intense storms is a national challenge and significant source of economic loss, social disruption and housing inequality across the United States, says a new report from Texas A&M University and the University of Maryland.

(From Texas A&M Today/ By Keith Randall & Melissa Andreychek) — The first to assess the national scope and consequences of urban flooding, the report calls on the administration and Congress to bring together representatives from state, municipal and tribal governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the public to define responsibilities and implement a variety of actions at the local level.

The recommendation is one of nine presented in the report to help governments at all levels take control of the growing threat.

Texas A&M University President Michael K. Young said Drs. Sam Brody with A&M’s Galveston campus and Gerry Galloway with UMD have put forth real and immediate measures everyone can take to help ensure millions of people are safe from these disastrous floods.

A wake-up call

“As we have witnessed for ourselves here in Texas, urban flooding is a serious threat to lives, property, and economic and infrastructure development,” Young said. “This unprecedented study is a wake-up call for the entire nation that urban flooding is a growing and dangerous problem, but likewise enormously powerful and exceptionally useful as it outlines feasible remedial approaches and solutions.”

Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp said these researchers have discovered…